diff --git a/internal/slicer/slicer_test.go b/internal/slicer/slicer_test.go
index d6ef9ca0d..41cce9a6c 100644
--- a/internal/slicer/slicer_test.go
+++ b/internal/slicer/slicer_test.go
@@ -1661,6 +1661,54 @@ var slicerTests = []slicerTest{{
 		"/symlink":  "symlink ./file <1> {test-package_myslice}",
 		"/hardlink": "symlink ./file <1> {test-package_myslice}",
 	},
+}, {
+	summary: "Hard link target path provided by another package extracted first",
+	slices: []setup.SliceKey{
+		{"test-package2", "myslice"},
+		{"test-package1", "myslice"},
+	},
+	pkgs: []*testutil.TestPackage{{
+		Name: "test-package1",
+		Data: testutil.MustMakeDeb([]testutil.TarEntry{
+			testutil.Dir(0755, "./"),
+			testutil.Reg(0644, "./file", "foo"),
+			testutil.Hrd(0644, "./hardlink", "./file"),
+		}),
+	}, {
+		Name: "test-package2",
+		Data: testutil.MustMakeDeb([]testutil.TarEntry{
+			testutil.Dir(0755, "./"),
+			testutil.Reg(0644, "./file", "bar"),
+		}),
+	}},
+	release: map[string]string{
+		"slices/mydir/test-package1.yaml": `
+			package: test-package1
+			slices:
+				myslice:
+					essential:
+						- test-package2_myslice
+					contents:
+						/hardlink:
+		`,
+		"slices/mydir/test-package2.yaml": `
+			package: test-package2
+			slices:
+				myslice:
+					contents:
+						/file:
+		`,
+	},
+	// test-package2 is extracted first, so its /file is on disk when the
+	// hard link is extracted. The link carries test-package1's content.
+	filesystem: map[string]string{
+		"/file":     "file 0644 fcde2b2e",
+		"/hardlink": "file 0644 2c26b46b",
+	},
+	manifestPaths: map[string]string{
+		"/file":     "file 0644 fcde2b2e {test-package2_myslice}",
+		"/hardlink": "file 0644 2c26b46b {test-package1_myslice}",
+	},
 }, {
 	summary: "Hard link identifiers are unique across packages",
 	slices: []setup.SliceKey{
diff --git a/internal/tarball/extract.go b/internal/tarball/extract.go
index 40db2cbac..7cf1a03f8 100644
--- a/internal/tarball/extract.go
+++ b/internal/tarball/extract.go
@@ -120,6 +120,14 @@ func extractData(pkgReader io.ReadSeeker, options *ExtractOptions) error {
 	// before the entry for the file itself. This is the case for .deb files but
 	// not for all tarballs.
 	tarDirMode := make(map[string]fs.FileMode)
+	// Entries extracted by this package at their own path. A hard link is
+	// only created against one of these: anything else at the link target
+	// came from another package.
+	extracted := make(map[string]bool)
+	// Where each hard link entry of the tarball points, so that a link that
+	// could not be created can find the content at the end of a chain of
+	// links once the whole tarball has been seen.
+	linkTargets := make(map[string]string)
 	tarReader := tar.NewReader(dataReader)
 	for {
 		tarHeader, err := tarReader.Next()
@@ -139,6 +147,11 @@ func extractData(pkgReader io.ReadSeeker, options *ExtractOptions) error {
 		if sourceIsDir {
 			tarDirMode[sourcePath] = tarHeader.FileInfo().Mode()
 		}
+		if tarHeader.Typeflag == tar.TypeLink {
+			if target, ok := sanitizeLinkTarget(tarHeader.Linkname); ok {
+				linkTargets[sourcePath] = target
+			}
+		}
 
 		// Find all globs and copies that require this source, and map them by
 		// their target paths on disk.
@@ -221,8 +234,24 @@ func extractData(pkgReader io.ReadSeeker, options *ExtractOptions) error {
 			}
 			link := tarHeader.Linkname
 			if tarHeader.Typeflag == tar.TypeLink {
+				relLinkPath, ok := sanitizeLinkTarget(tarHeader.Linkname)
+				if !ok {
+					return fmt.Errorf("invalid link target %s", tarHeader.Linkname)
+				}
+				if !extracted[relLinkPath] {
+					// The content was not extracted previously, so the
+					// hard link entry is dealt with once the whole
+					// tarball has been seen.
+					info := pendingHardLink{
+						path:         targetPath,
+						mode:         tarHeader.FileInfo().Mode(),
+						extractInfos: extractInfos,
+					}
+					pendingHardLinks[relLinkPath] = append(pendingHardLinks[relLinkPath], info)
+					continue
+				}
 				// A hard link requires the real path of the target file.
-				link = filepath.Join(options.TargetDir, link)
+				link = filepath.Join(options.TargetDir, relLinkPath)
 			}
 
 			// Create the entry itself.
@@ -236,22 +265,45 @@ func extractData(pkgReader io.ReadSeeker, options *ExtractOptions) error {
 				OverrideMode: true,
 			}
 			err := options.Create(extractInfos, createOptions)
-			if err != nil && os.IsNotExist(err) && tarHeader.Typeflag == tar.TypeLink {
-				// The hard link could not be created because the content
-				// was not extracted previously. Add this hard link entry
-				// to the pending list to extract later.
-				relLinkPath, ok := sanitizeTarPath(tarHeader.Linkname)
-				if !ok {
-					return fmt.Errorf("invalid link target %s", tarHeader.Linkname)
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			if targetPath == sourcePath {
+				extracted[targetPath] = true
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	// A pending link waits for the content at the end of its chain of links.
+	// When that content was extracted by this package the link is created
+	// against it now; otherwise the second pass extracts the content.
+	for linkPath, links := range pendingHardLinks {
+		endPath := linkPath
+		for i := 0; i < len(linkTargets); i++ {
+			next, ok := linkTargets[endPath]
+			if !ok {
+				break
+			}
+			endPath = next
+		}
+		if extracted[endPath] {
+			for _, link := range links {
+				createOptions := &fsutil.CreateOptions{
+					Root:        options.TargetDir,
+					Path:        link.path,
+					Mode:        link.mode,
+					Link:        filepath.Join(options.TargetDir, endPath),
+					MakeParents: true,
 				}
-				info := pendingHardLink{
-					path:         targetPath,
-					extractInfos: extractInfos,
+				err := options.Create(link.extractInfos, createOptions)
+				if err != nil {
+					return err
 				}
-				pendingHardLinks[relLinkPath] = append(pendingHardLinks[relLinkPath], info)
-			} else if err != nil {
-				return err
 			}
+			delete(pendingHardLinks, linkPath)
+		} else if endPath != linkPath {
+			delete(pendingHardLinks, linkPath)
+			pendingHardLinks[endPath] = append(pendingHardLinks[endPath], links...)
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -289,6 +341,7 @@ func extractData(pkgReader io.ReadSeeker, options *ExtractOptions) error {
 
 type pendingHardLink struct {
 	path         string
+	mode         fs.FileMode
 	extractInfos []ExtractInfo
 }
 
@@ -325,18 +378,27 @@ func extractHardLinks(pkgReader io.ReadSeeker, opts *extractHardLinkOptions) err
 		if len(links) == 0 {
 			continue
 		}
+		if tarHeader.Typeflag == tar.TypeLink {
+			// Only a chain of links leading nowhere ends here.
+			return fmt.Errorf("cannot create hard link %s: %s is a hard link", links[0].path, sourcePath)
+		}
 
 		// For a target path, the first hard link will be created as a file with
 		// the content of the target path. If there are more pending hard links,
 		// the remaining ones will be created as hard links with the newly
 		// created file as their target.
 		absLink := filepath.Join(opts.TargetDir, links[0].path)
-		// Extract the content to the first hard link path.
+		// Extract the content to the first hard link path. A hard link to a
+		// symlink becomes a symlink with the same target.
 		createOptions := &fsutil.CreateOptions{
-			Root: opts.TargetDir,
-			Path: links[0].path,
-			Mode: tarHeader.FileInfo().Mode(),
-			Data: tarReader,
+			Root:        opts.TargetDir,
+			Path:        links[0].path,
+			Mode:        tarHeader.FileInfo().Mode(),
+			Data:        tarReader,
+			MakeParents: true,
+		}
+		if tarHeader.Typeflag == tar.TypeSymlink {
+			createOptions.Link = tarHeader.Linkname
 		}
 		err = opts.Create(links[0].extractInfos, createOptions)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -350,7 +412,8 @@ func extractHardLinks(pkgReader io.ReadSeeker, opts *extractHardLinkOptions) err
 				Path: link.path,
 				Mode: tarHeader.FileInfo().Mode(),
 				// Link to the first file extracted for the hard links.
-				Link: absLink,
+				Link:        absLink,
+				MakeParents: true,
 			}
 			err := opts.Create(link.extractInfos, createOptions)
 			if err != nil {
@@ -388,6 +451,15 @@ func parentDirs(path string) []string {
 	return parents
 }
 
+// sanitizeLinkTarget returns the clean path a hard link entry points at, which
+// the tarball may spell with or without the leading "./".
+func sanitizeLinkTarget(link string) (string, bool) {
+	if link == "" || link[0] == '/' {
+		return "", false
+	}
+	return filepath.Clean("/" + strings.TrimPrefix(link, "./")), true
+}
+
 // sanitizeTarPath removes the leading "./" from the source path in the tarball,
 // and verifies that the path is not empty.
 func sanitizeTarPath(path string) (string, bool) {
diff --git a/internal/tarball/extract_test.go b/internal/tarball/extract_test.go
index fd5eb6147..09f3ffac7 100644
--- a/internal/tarball/extract_test.go
+++ b/internal/tarball/extract_test.go
@@ -439,6 +439,171 @@ var extractTests = []extractTest{{
 		"/symlink":  "symlink ./file <1>",
 	},
 	notCreated: []string{},
+}, {
+	summary: "Hard link to a hard link",
+	pkgdata: testutil.MustMakeDeb([]testutil.TarEntry{
+		testutil.Dir(0755, "./"),
+		testutil.Reg(0644, "./file", "foo"),
+		testutil.Hrd(0644, "./hardlink1", "./file"),
+		testutil.Hrd(0644, "./hardlink2", "./hardlink1"),
+	}),
+	options: tarball.ExtractOptions{
+		Extract: map[string][]tarball.ExtractInfo{
+			"/**": []tarball.ExtractInfo{{
+				Path: "/**",
+			}},
+		},
+	},
+	result: map[string]string{
+		"/file":      "file 0644 2c26b46b <1>",
+		"/hardlink1": "file 0644 2c26b46b <1>",
+		"/hardlink2": "file 0644 2c26b46b <1>",
+	},
+	notCreated: []string{},
+}, {
+	summary: "Hard link to a hard link whose target is not extracted",
+	pkgdata: testutil.MustMakeDeb([]testutil.TarEntry{
+		testutil.Dir(0755, "./"),
+		testutil.Reg(0644, "./file", "foo"),
+		testutil.Hrd(0644, "./hardlink1", "./file"),
+		testutil.Hrd(0644, "./hardlink2", "./hardlink1"),
+	}),
+	options: tarball.ExtractOptions{
+		Extract: map[string][]tarball.ExtractInfo{
+			"/hardlink1": []tarball.ExtractInfo{{
+				Path: "/hardlink1",
+			}},
+			"/hardlink2": []tarball.ExtractInfo{{
+				Path: "/hardlink2",
+			}},
+		},
+	},
+	result: map[string]string{
+		"/hardlink1": "file 0644 2c26b46b <1>",
+		"/hardlink2": "file 0644 2c26b46b <1>",
+	},
+	notCreated: []string{},
+}, {
+	summary: "Hard link target spelled without the leading dot slash",
+	pkgdata: testutil.MustMakeDeb([]testutil.TarEntry{
+		testutil.Dir(0755, "./"),
+		testutil.Reg(0644, "./file", "foo"),
+		testutil.Hrd(0644, "./hardlink", "file"),
+	}),
+	options: tarball.ExtractOptions{
+		Extract: map[string][]tarball.ExtractInfo{
+			"/**": []tarball.ExtractInfo{{
+				Path: "/**",
+			}},
+		},
+	},
+	result: map[string]string{
+		"/file":     "file 0644 2c26b46b <1>",
+		"/hardlink": "file 0644 2c26b46b <1>",
+	},
+	notCreated: []string{},
+}, {
+	summary: "Hard link to a symlink that is not extracted",
+	pkgdata: testutil.MustMakeDeb([]testutil.TarEntry{
+		testutil.Dir(0755, "./"),
+		testutil.Lnk(0644, "./symlink", "./file"),
+		testutil.Hrd(0644, "./hardlink", "./symlink"),
+	}),
+	options: tarball.ExtractOptions{
+		Extract: map[string][]tarball.ExtractInfo{
+			"/hardlink": []tarball.ExtractInfo{{
+				Path: "/hardlink",
+			}},
+		},
+	},
+	result: map[string]string{
+		"/hardlink": "symlink ./file",
+	},
+	notCreated: []string{},
+}, {
+	summary: "Hard link to a hard link listed before its target link",
+	pkgdata: testutil.MustMakeDeb([]testutil.TarEntry{
+		testutil.Dir(0755, "./"),
+		testutil.Reg(0644, "./file", "foo"),
+		testutil.Hrd(0644, "./hardlink2", "./hardlink1"),
+		testutil.Hrd(0644, "./hardlink1", "./file"),
+	}),
+	options: tarball.ExtractOptions{
+		Extract: map[string][]tarball.ExtractInfo{
+			"/hardlink2": []tarball.ExtractInfo{{
+				Path: "/hardlink2",
+			}},
+		},
+	},
+	result: map[string]string{
+		"/hardlink2": "file 0644 2c26b46b",
+	},
+	notCreated: []string{},
+}, {
+	summary: "Hard link to a hard link whose target is extracted links to the target",
+	pkgdata: testutil.MustMakeDeb([]testutil.TarEntry{
+		testutil.Dir(0755, "./"),
+		testutil.Reg(0644, "./file", "foo"),
+		testutil.Hrd(0644, "./hardlink1", "./file"),
+		testutil.Hrd(0644, "./hardlink2", "./hardlink1"),
+	}),
+	options: tarball.ExtractOptions{
+		Extract: map[string][]tarball.ExtractInfo{
+			"/file": []tarball.ExtractInfo{{
+				Path: "/file",
+			}},
+			"/hardlink2": []tarball.ExtractInfo{{
+				Path: "/hardlink2",
+			}},
+		},
+	},
+	result: map[string]string{
+		"/file":      "file 0644 2c26b46b <1>",
+		"/hardlink2": "file 0644 2c26b46b <1>",
+	},
+	notCreated: []string{},
+}, {
+	summary: "Hard link target spelled with a non-canonical path",
+	pkgdata: testutil.MustMakeDeb([]testutil.TarEntry{
+		testutil.Dir(0755, "./"),
+		testutil.Dir(0755, "./dir/"),
+		testutil.Reg(0644, "./dir/file", "foo"),
+		testutil.Hrd(0644, "./hardlink1", "./dir//file"),
+		testutil.Hrd(0644, "./hardlink2", "./dir/../dir/file"),
+	}),
+	options: tarball.ExtractOptions{
+		Extract: map[string][]tarball.ExtractInfo{
+			"/**": []tarball.ExtractInfo{{
+				Path: "/**",
+			}},
+		},
+	},
+	result: map[string]string{
+		"/dir/":      "dir 0755",
+		"/dir/file":  "file 0644 2c26b46b <1>",
+		"/hardlink1": "file 0644 2c26b46b <1>",
+		"/hardlink2": "file 0644 2c26b46b <1>",
+	},
+	notCreated: []string{},
+}, {
+	summary: "Deferred hard link under a directory the tarball does not carry",
+	pkgdata: testutil.MustMakeDeb([]testutil.TarEntry{
+		testutil.Dir(0755, "./"),
+		testutil.Reg(0644, "./file", "foo"),
+		testutil.Hrd(0644, "./dir/hardlink", "./file"),
+	}),
+	options: tarball.ExtractOptions{
+		Extract: map[string][]tarball.ExtractInfo{
+			"/dir/hardlink": []tarball.ExtractInfo{{
+				Path: "/dir/hardlink",
+			}},
+		},
+	},
+	result: map[string]string{
+		"/dir/":         "dir 0755",
+		"/dir/hardlink": "file 0644 2c26b46b",
+	},
+	notCreated: []string{"/dir/"},
 }, {
 	summary: "Explicit extraction overrides existing file",
 	pkgdata: testutil.PackageData["test-package"],